Nearly 1,660 Afghans, including family members of active-duty US military personnel, are having their flights canceled under an order by President Donald Trump suspending US refugee programs, according to a US official and a leading refugee resettlement advocate on Monday.
The affected group includes unaccompanied minors waiting to reunite with their families in the US, as well as Afghans at risk of Taliban retaliation for their service to the former US-backed Afghan government, said Shawn VanDiver, head of the #AfghanEvac coalition of US veterans and advocacy groups. The US official, speaking anonymously, confirmed the decision.
The move also leaves thousands of other Afghans approved for resettlement in limbo, with many still waiting for flight assignments from Afghanistan or neighboring Pakistan.
Trump made tightening immigration controls a central promise of his 2024 election campaign, leaving the future of US refugee programs uncertain. The White House and the State Department, which oversees US refugee programs, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“Afghans and advocates are panicking,” VanDiver said. “I’ve had to recharge my phone four times today because so many are calling me. We warned them this would happen, but they went ahead with it. We hope they will reconsider.”
VanDiver’s organization has worked with the US government to evacuate and resettle Afghans since the Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021, following the chaotic US troop withdrawal. Since then, nearly 200,000 Afghans have been brought to the US under the Biden administration.
One of several executive orders Trump is expected to sign after taking office for his second term on Monday includes suspending US refugee programs for at least four months. According to the new White House website, Trump cited the strain on communities, safety, and resources from housing large, unsustainable migrant populations.
“This means that unaccompanied children, Afghan partner forces who trained, fought, and died with our troops, and families of active-duty US service members are going to be stuck,” VanDiver added.
The refugees in question were scheduled to depart Kabul for the US between now and April but have been removed from flight manifests, VanDiver and the US official said.
Minority Democrats on the House Foreign Relations Committee condemned the move, posting on X that “this is what abandonment looks like. Leaving vetted, verified Afghan Allies at the mercy of the Taliban is shameful.”
Among those affected are nearly 200 family members of Afghan-American active-duty US service members, as well as Afghan refugees’ children who were brought to the US during the withdrawal. The group also includes Afghans who worked for US contractors or US-affiliated organizations, as well as some 200 unaccompanied minors.
This decision marks a significant shift in US refugee policy under Trump’s administration, leaving many individuals and families who have already been vetted for resettlement in a state of uncertainty and fear.
